1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wheel cover assemblies for heavy vehicle wheel rims. More particularly, the present invention relates to a retainer ring which is formed to engage either the chamfered sides of the wheel rim lug nuts or the free ends of the lug bolts of a multiplicity of heavy vehicle wheel rim bolt patterns whereby wheel cover assemblies can be attached thereto and removed without loosening the wheel rim lug nuts.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Decorative wheel covers have long been used by operators of heavy vehicles for improving the appearance of the apparatus to attract customers and to improve the image of heavy vehicle operators in public opinion.
An example of this type of improvement in the art is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 33,806, issued Jan. 28, 1992, to Mike Wang et al. Disclosed therein is a wheel cover which mounts over the lug bolts of a heavy vehicle wheel rim and is held in place by a retainer ring that is secured in position by the wheel retaining lug nuts. The retainer ring is captured between the lug nuts and the wheel rim. Adapters are utilized to cover the lug nuts with an additional decorative cover ring.
The problem with this type of prior art design is that the retainer ring is interposed into the wheel to lug nut retention relationship, and it requires the lug nuts to be removed from the wheel rim to remove the decorative cover. That is undesirable because the arrangement creates a perceived safety hazard by interfering with the lug nut to wheel integrity. Moreover, the arrangement is impractical because it is usually necessary to jack the vehicle to take the weight of the wheel in order to remove the lug nuts to remove the wheel cover.
In view of the increasing frequency of safety checks being performed by traffic regulators throughout the United States and Europe, it has been recognized and demonstrated that there is a need in the art for a wheel cover assembly which maintains wheel to lug nut integrity and provides a quick change wheel cover that does not require the removal of the lug nuts from the lug bolts to remove the wheel cover from the rim.
An example of a removable wheel cover which improves on the prior art and provides a quick change capability that does not require the removal of the wheel lug nuts is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,440 issued Dec. 1, 1992, to Fitzgerald, the present inventor. Disclosed therein is a means for securing a wheel cover to a heavy vehicle wheel rim which is quickly removable simply by the loosening of screws. While the disclosed solution is satisfactory for certain purposes, other types of wheel covers require alternative means of securing a wheel cover to a heavy vehicle wheel rim which is universally adaptable to numerous different types of trucks and wheel bolt patterns.
The present invention is primarily a safety device which provides a universal solution to the described problems. It provides a retainer ring and wheel cover assembly of a unique and novel design which retains lug nut to wheel rim Integrity and permits the quick change of wheel cover assemblies without the removal of lug nuts.